Yet here he stood hours later, a day later, looking at Benjamin, who had smiled with a smile that said, No need to worry, Pop.

That said, What took you so long to come back around?

It said everything in its innocent helplessness.

A tube came out of Benjamin’s nose. The feeding tube. Another set was attached to his hand. A backdrop worthy of a Star Trek scene stood in the background.

But all Kevin knew was that Benjamin was okay, just like his brother Mark. All things considered, both babies were doing well and were healthy and in very good, capable hands.

Kevin walked back over to the other side of the room separated by a curtain where Mark was resting. They looked the same, though different. Mark was a little chunkier and seemed to enjoy sleeping for the moment. He was the one who had been head down inside of Jenny.

Looking at his son, Kevin once again thanked God for this gift, for these two gifts.

In the cafeteria, Kevin sat with caffeine in hand and wolfed down a bagel and some yogurt.

He was still riding the wave of adrenaline with little sleep.

For a moment, however, he sat still and looked out the window and watched the sunrise.

What a glorious and good day.

He took a sip of coffee and thought that this morning had started with two of the most glorious sunrises he’d ever seen.

It was strange, but life suddenly had absolute purpose. Everything had a whole new meaning, a different shade, an alternate weight, a higher cause.

Help me to be the father I want to be, that I need to be. Help me to be a good man and husband to my wife and those boys.

This was something he knew. He was going to love those boys with all his heart and all his soul. Sure, he would let them down, but when he did he was going to make it right because they were gifts and they were angels and they had a father who was going to do every single thing he could to be a good one.

With Mommy’s help, of course.

Life for the moment was on pause. At rest. Jenny was recovering from the C-section in her hospital room. Gregory was at home with the grandparents. The babies were in the NICU under the good care of nurses like Jean the patient one and Julie the one with the English accent and Stef the tough but good-hearted one. In his state, he was lucky to remember their names and faces.

He let out a sigh of relief and thankfulness and joy.

Then, he uttered a prayer in the quiet of this morning and this empty cafeteria.

“Thank You, Father. Thank You for helping out. Thank You for lending me a hand through this, for guiding me across the busy street, for bearing my worries and my fears . . .”